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After much speculation and anticipation, Selection Sunday
has yielded the brackets for the 2017 March Madness tournament. This year,
there’s a relative lack of controversy in terms of seeding, other than the
underwhelming seeds given to teams like Wichita State and West Virginia state.
Considering trends for 2017, Duke receiving a two-seed doesn’t stir up too much
trouble among most fans either.

With the path to the championship made clear, college basketball bracketology has begun in earnest, with millions of fans chasing
the perfect championship bracket. Depending on your chosen method of mathematical
analysis, statisticians believe that the chances of predicting the entire
tournament are as low as 1 in 9.2 quintillion, and as high as 1 in 128 billion.
Considering that less than one percent of bracketologists have predicted the
path to the Final Four in the past six years, it’s almost guaranteed that your
bracket will be devastated before the sweet sixteen, including an upset of a
couple of these top seeds.

Villanova - Approximate Odds: 15-2

One of the greatest runs to the championship in NCAA
basketball history, the Villanova Wildcats earned the best point differential
for a winner in March Madness history. They also enjoyed the first-ever
three-point buzzer beater in championship history to secure their first win in
31 years.The Wildcats have been awarded
top seed for their continued excellence this year, as well as their incredible
performance during 2016 March Madness. An instant classic, last year’s
championship game was among the most exciting ever witnessed.

Josh Hart and championship shot maker Kris Jenkins are the
marquee names leading the Wildcats, who thrive off of teamwork and experience.
Even better, Villanova appears to be kicking it into high gear at the right
time, beating most challengers through superior defense. Despite the fact that
North Carolina and Duke are considered the favorites according to the odds,
there’s no doubt that Villanova will represent a tough out for Duke, assuming
the two schools meet in the elite eight.

Kansas - Approximate Odds: 8-1

Kansas has once again earned a top seed based on their
regular season dominance of the Big 12. True to recent pattern, this top
seeding hasn’t helped them make inroads during championship season, as they
lost in an 85-82 shocker against TCU. Fatigue, the absence of Josh Jackson and
refereeing were discussed as the scapegoats, but any top ranked team which
gives up 85 points needs to consider their defensive effort first and foremost.

The Jawhawks have been one of the most underwhelming top
seeds over their 13 consecutive regular season conference titles. Despite named
top seed seven times and number two seed twice since 2005, Kansas has made only
two Final Fours. They’ve been upset before the semifinals six times by squads
ranked 7-14, and have lost against lower seeds nine times in the past 11 years.
As usual, Kansas is loaded with top end prospects, but has to overcome
inexperience and controversy to fulfill the promise of their talent.

North Carolina – Approximate Odds: 6-1

The internet was flooded with the tears of the “Crying
Jordan” meme after the Tar Heels helplessly watched a three splash at the
buzzer. Seconds earlier, it appeared that Marcus Paige had managed to salvage
extra time with an incredible shot of his own, which was promptly erased by
Kris Jenkins historic winner. Despite the devastation of such a close loss,
North Carolina’s program has responded admirably, landing as the third seed
overall, and the top seed in the east with a 31-3 record.

One of the top basketball programs on an annual basis, the
Tar Heels look to build on a lengthy tradition of superb performances,
including 48 tournament appearances, 19 Final Fours and five NCAA National Championships.
Justin Jackson returns to the tournament as the ACC Player of the Year, and
will attempt to showcase his newfound three-point range while lifting his squad
to a championship.

Gonzaga - Approximate Odds: 10-1

The Bulldogs have made a giant leap into the top level of
elite seeds, ranking fourth overall and leading the west as the number one
seed. Last year, they were ranked 11th in the Midwest, and managed to make some
noise by taking out the sixth seed Seton Hall, and the third seed Utah, before
running into Syracuse, who would go on to make the final four.

This year, Gonzaga has made waves in the NCAA by earning the
best record in Division I men’s basketball, winning 32 games and losing a
head-scratcher to the BYU Cougars. Popular opinion about Zags tends to veer
towards the Bulldogs as overachievers who haven’t dealt with a lot of
adversity, which undermines the fact that this squad has hustled hard to build
a reputation. Gonzaga may not have the high-end talent that other colleges
boast, but their dedication to teamwork and defense readies them for a
relatively easy path to the Final Four.

NCAA March Madness Top Seeds Trends

Appropriately, top seeds dominate the NCAA Men’s Division I
championship tournament. With few exceptions, at least one top seed makes it to
the Final Four. More often than not, two number one seeds make it to the
semi-finals. On the other hand, the Final Four almost never consists of four
top seeds, which means that it’s more than likely for one of 2017’s best ranked
teams to end up on the wrong side of history. March Madness is famous partly
because of the monumental upsets that derail even the biggest contenders,
making it nearly impossible for fans and experts to fill out a perfect bracket.

Nevertheless, a number one seed has won 19 championships out
of 30 finals appearances, compared to second seeds, which have won five
championships in 12 appearances since 1985. In terms of Final Fours, top ranked
teams have made it 52 times while second seeded teams have made 28 tournament semi-finals.
For the 2017 tournament, Duke, Kentucky, UCLA and Arizona stand out as
significant challengers on the way to the Final Four. You shouldn’t expect a
16th seed to beat a 1st seed to start the bracket, but just about anything else
is possible in a one-and-done tournament format.